AFTER Warren Hay s tragic death, there is now general agreement that something has to be done about making the A141 safer. Those in authority seem to be making this more difficult than necessary. According to them, the highest priority is to prevent cars

AFTER Warren Hay's tragic death, there is now general agreement that something has to be done about making the A141 safer. Those in authority seem to be making this more difficult than necessary.

According to them, the highest priority is to prevent cars from Kings Ripton turning right. That will do little or nothing for pedestrian safety. It will, however, cause worry in Abbots Ripton as some cars divert doing the extra four miles to come out by the Tesco roundabout. This will simply set up more accidents on that winding road. Alternatively, they will turn left, down to the already congested St Ives Road roundabout and come hurtling back up the hill again to go to the A14, the station and points west.

Let us be clear what is wanted. We need a safe pedestrian crossing of the road with a footpath up to the playing fields. This is so that users of the playing field do not risk life and limb in going to sporting events. Plus, cars from Kings Ripton need to be able to exit safely onto this high speed road. This is what was recommended way back in 1993 by the local highways authority when the playing field site was first considered. Unfortunately, the Conservative district council ruled out the safety measures.

The solution seems simple. We need emergency traffic lights installed as soon as the law permits with permanent lights to follow as soon as possible. They would provide a safe entrance from/exit to Kings Ripton Road. These lights should include pedestrian control for those few times of the week when crossing the road on foot is needed.

This simple package, which deals with both problems, could be achieved at a fraction of the other costs being bandied about. It could also be achieved sooner.

Then use some of the money paid by Luminus and other developers as they clog up yet more of our precious green spaces with their new houses to construct a pedestrian/cycle path to the entrance of the playing fields.

Keep it simple. Keep it cheap. But, most of all, do it now.

Councillor SAM KEMP, Huntingdon North, Huntingdonshire District Council

* CAMBRIDGESHIRE County Council's proposal partially to block off the A141/Kings Ripton junction will have an adverse effect on Wennington, Little Raveley and Abbots Ripton.

The proposal is to install a centre island and prevent vehicles turning right when they join the A141 from Kings Ripton. There is already a rat-race of cars in the morning using our country road, which is not fit to take them. The reason for this is that 20 years ago only one car every two hours used the Little Raveley, Wennington and Abbots Ripton road. But, when the Huntingdon northern bypass was built, they did not put an island at the A141/Kings Ripton junction and therefore, traffic uses our road because it can join the A141 at the Tesco roundabout.

At the moment, the majority of the traffic from Ramsey direction uses the Kings Ripton road to join the A141. If the new proposal goes ahead, that traffic will not be able to cross the A141 to turn right and so it too will divert down our totally unsuitable road to join the A141 at the Tesco roundabout, and the traffic flow will be increased.

What is needed is a roundabout at the A141/Kings Ripton junction.

HARRY TALTON, Wennington Road, Little Raveley

* I AGREE entirely with the views of the Warren Hay Action Group that the proposals for a central island at the Kings Ripton junction do not go far enough. This requires much greater thought on the part of the council and needs to take into account much wider issues.

As a minimum, I believe that this junction needs to be made into a roundabout. This would have several advantages: for pedestrians, it would mean that traffic would be forced to slow down to negotiate the roundabout; a crossing could also be built at this point, perhaps making the centre of the roundabout itself a central refuge - rather better than the small island that is currently being proposed (although I would agree that for pedestrians a bridge would be the best option); it would vastly improve safety for traffic coming from the Kings Ripton direction and wanting to turn right.

As a resident of Upwood who regularly travels to Huntingdon, the Kings Ripton junction is virtually unusable for most parts of the day as it is an extremely difficult and an unsafe junction from which to turn right.

The only practical and safe option for people coming from the Ramsey/Upwood area is either to travel to Huntingdon via the Wyton Road or to rat run through Wennington and Abbots Ripton and join the A141 at the Tesco roundabout.

Consequently, putting a roundabout at the Kings Ripton/A141 junction would not only make it safer for pedestrians and drivers but it would also reduce traffic.

STEPHEN HOWES, Upwood